Former Punjab Police DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar, whose arrest in a bribery case has opened up a wider investigation into benami properties and suspected links with senior officials, will appear before the CBI court today through video conferencing.
His judicial custody, ordered after the completion of his five-day CBI remand earlier this month, will come up for review. The court will also hear a plea filed by his family seeking the defreezing of bank accounts that were blocked by the agency during the probe.
The request to defreeze the accounts has been placed before the court after Bhullar’s family said that they were struggling to manage daily household expenses. The CBI had frozen multiple accounts, including the DIG’s salary account, his son’s salary account and his father’s pension account.
His son, who works as an Assistant Advocate General in Punjab, has also been unable to access his earnings, while the family has claimed that their farming and rental income remains blocked as well.
Bhullar’s lawyer, SPS Bhullar, filed a plea demanding that the accounts be restored at least for essential expenses, arguing that the investigation can continue without placing the family under financial stress. The court has sought a reply from the CBI, and the matter will be heard today alongside Bhullar’s appearance.
Today’s hearing follows a series of developments that widened the case far beyond the initial Rs 8 lakh bribery complaint involving a scrap dealer from Mandi Gobindgarh. During the investigation, the CBI recovered electronic data and documents from Bhullar, middleman Krishanu Sharda, and Patiala-based property dealer Bhupinder Singh.
Interrogation details revealed names of 14 senior officers, 10 IPS and four IAS, who allegedly invested in property through Bhupinder. Subsequent raids in Patiala and Ludhiana led to the seizure of documents linked to suspected benami holdings.
Information retrieved from middleman Krishanu Sharda’s mobile phone expanded the scope further, connecting him to over 30 Punjab officers. The CBI believes he acted as a link for officers seeking transfers, cancellation of FIRs, and help in influencing pending cases. The Enforcement Directorate then entered the case, taking custody of financial records and property documents to follow the money trail behind these alleged dealings.
"With Bhullar joining the proceedings from jail, the court will decide on his further custody, hear the plea on frozen accounts, and take note of the CBI’s reply. As both the CBI and ED continue to examine documents and seized data, more names are expected to surface in the coming days", said sources.